Oftentimes in sports, as in life, things don’t go to script.
That was the case for the Toronto Marlies, who saw their impressive season come to an end in Game 5 of the AHL Eastern Conference final against the Hershey Bears Sunday night.
It was a disappointing finish for a team that put together one of the best regular seasons of all time, but that doesn’t mean all was lost.
The AHL is a development league after all and learning what it takes to compete and win at a high level, in victory or defeat, are valuable experiences for a young team.
With that in mind, here are a few lessons learned during the Marlies’ playoff run and some things to consider heading into the off-season.
Where does Nylander fit best?
Much was made about William Nylander’s play in the post-season, which is understandable given his pedigree and what’s expected of him with the Maple Leafs.
The highly-touted prospect still finished with seven goals and 11 points in 14 games, but he didn’t play great without the puck and as a result his offensive game disappeared at times.
In an attempt to spark his star player, coach Sheldon Keefe flipped Nylander to the wing for Games 4 and 5 against Hershey. The plan worked. Nylander scored a hat trick in Game 4 to keep the Marlies alive and added another goal in Game 5 as he was freed up from the demanding defensive responsibilities centres face.
But what does this mean going forward?
Nylander has played both wing and centre throughout his career but it appeared he was being groomed as a centre after playing down the middle all season. That was the logical move given the value of centremen and the Maple Leafs’ lack of depth at the position. But with Auston Matthews presumptively joining the fray alongside the recently re-signed Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, it’s not so clear where Nylander slots in.
He could form a dynamic line with either Kadri or Matthews in the top-six, or take on easier matchups while learning to improve his craft defensively as a third-line centre. But that doesn’t make much sense with Bozak still under contract.
As things stand it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nylander start next season on the wing, but his ability to play both positions gives the Maple Leafs flexibility heading into the off-season.
Crease concerns
It’s no secret that the Maple Leafs are thin between the pipes, and the Calder Cup playoffs did little to change that outlook.
Goaltending wasn’t solely to blame for Toronto’s exit, but it wasn’t good enough, either.
Antoine Bibeau won the starter’s job after a strong start against Albany, but he followed that up with a sub-par stretch of play in which he allowed 14 goals in four games. Much like his regular season, Bibeau’s play in the post-season was inconsistent. He finished with a 2.73 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in the playoffs after putting up similar numbers (2.70/.909) in the regular season.
Garret Sparks, on the other hand, was fantastic during the regular season but couldn’t win back the net after returning from a mostly underwhelming stint with the big club. The 22-year-old started strong with back-to-back shutouts in the first round but lost the net after dropping the opener against Albany, and he didn’t do enough in his one start or relief appearance against Hershey to earn more playing time.
Both Sparks and Bibeau are 22 years old and given the volatile nature of the position and the age at which goalies peak, it’s too early to write them off as NHL-calibre netminders. But they don’t appear to be the long-term solution for the Maple Leafs at the moment.
Lasting impressions
The Calder Cup playoffs were a good opportunity for a number of players to leave a lasting impression heading into the off-season, namely those in need of new contracts this summer.
Josh Leivo, Sam Carrick, Colin Smith, Stuart Percy, Connor Carrick and Sparks are restricted free agents this off-season — all but Sparks are waiver eligible in 2016-17 — while Mark Arcobello, T.J. Brennan, Ben Smith and Rich Clune are unrestricted.
Arcobello and Brennan were key players for the Marlies this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look for other opportunities elsewhere. Clune was a good leader and mentor for the young Marlies, while Ben Smith was a versatile and serviceable player during his short stay in Toronto.
The biggest question marks are with the RFAs.
NHL teams can only have 50 players under contract (not including those playing in junior) and with several prospects eligible to graduate to the AHL next season and 12 more selections in the 2016 NHL Draft, roster space is becoming scarce.
Connor Carrick earned himself a contract with his play in the post-season, while Sparks will almost certainly be brought back due to the team’s lack of depth in goal. Sam Carrick and Colin Smith could be brought back to give the Marlies some depth and experience.
Leivo is the most interesting case. After an all-star regular season, Leivo was one of the Marlies’ most reliable players in the playoffs and finished second on the team in scoring with 12 points in 15 games. Yet his standing with the Leafs remains up in the air.
The 23-year-old seems poised to earn a bottom-six role with the Leafs next season, so long as he heeds Mike Babcock’s advice and gets stronger in the off-season, but he will have tough competition on the wing with Connor Brown, Nikita Soshnikov, Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner among those knocking on the door.
As for Percy, the 2011 first-round pick has yet to establish himself as an indispensable piece of the future. He hasn’t done enough to guarantee him a spot in the NHL, and he’s fallen behind Connor Carrick on the depth chart with Rinat Valiev, Travis Dermott and Andrew Nielsen coming up behind him.
After swapping five players for Michael Grabner a season ago, you wonder if the Maple Leafs might pull off a similar move (or moves) with some of their fringe prospects this summer.
